It started with a FB friend writing….
“What puts me off joining an exercise class is having to listen to modern autotune garbage pop music.”
My response was
“….’having to listen to modern autotune garbage pop music’.
Too right! I often think it’s hard on folk who work in shops and other public places that they have to listen to crap music all day. We had lunch out on Wednesday and the place was pleasant, the food was delicious but they had the sound system tuned to a radio station which was kind-of sub-rave 90’s music interspersed with news and I thought, imagine having to listen to that all your working day?
There’s another place we go for lunch that has a loop of 70’s and 80’s good stuff – a whole different experience….
https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp…
Here’s a story. Years, nay decades, ago I worked micro-filming documents at the National Library of Wales. There was a team of 3 of us. The ‘boss’ of the unit turned the radio on each morning, tuned to Radio One. It was driving me nuts – particularly the inane babble.
I mentioned it, and the other two didn’t like it either. So – we suggested to the boss-man that we could bring a tape machine in (yes, it was that long ago) and take turns playing what we chose. He agreed, and that’s what we did. Bridget liked Gregorian Chants and that sorta thing, John liked classical and I went with whatever I felt like that day. Democracy in action. It’s always worth speaking out!”
To which she replied
“I absolutely do comment if I loathe the music.
Pissing against Niagara, largely; often get a robotic response from shop/café workers.
I have massive feet and I vote with them.”
(I’d never heard the phrase ‘pissing against Niagara’ before, and I likes it!).
My reply
“Re. feet…mine are small, but effective in a similar way. I often get the response that the music is for everyone and personal tastes can’t come into it. This doesn’t hold water when I’ve been asking them to turn the music down.
To find a public place where you can sit quietly gets rarer and rarer. And…every pub has a HUGE telly tuned to the News!”
This exchange prompted me to have a ramble along these lines in m’blog, listing the places I’m aware of in Orkney where they have quiet music or none at all.
Polly Kettle has subdued, soothing sub-jazz which suits the place – and I don’t even like jazz!
https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17601
The Pomona – I can’t remember if there is music playing there – which says a lot!
https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17249
The Dashing Deer has the groovy 70’s and 80’s Spotify thingy…..(see link in text above).
Birsay Bay Tearoom has some background music but, again, I can’t remember what – so it can’t be intrusive
Lucano’s has pleasant, low-level background music. With ‘Stevie Wonder’s ‘Happy Birthday’ thrown in if they know it’s someone’s birthday!
The Orkney Brewery – again, I think they do have music, but it’s so unintrusive that I can’t remember!
https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16885
Sheila Fleet’s has unintrusive music which suits the ambiance of the place
https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17099
Wellpark Garden Centre Cafe doesn’t have music – just the pleasing background sounds of folk having a chat.
The Relic Café – if it’s there, it unintrusive
https://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=17376
Some of these are dog-friendly too – even better – listening to music whilst tickling dogs.
I didn’t list the ones where the music is too loud/not to my taste and or suitable. The idea is to tell you about the peaceful places!
It shows how easy it is for a place to get it right – just a bit of thought about the ‘feel’ of the place – and why folk like to eat out.
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